Pros: Extremely walkable, convenient access to light rail and highway, tons of great food options in the area, on the edge of U district (a bit quieter than the main area), amazing rooftop views, decent amenities, quiet apartment (little to no noise from my neighbors), short term leasing options, very cheap deposit, plenty of street parking within a block or two of the building Cons: Lots of highway noise if your window is open, apartment units trap heat (you will need a portable AC unit if you want to sleep in summer. My average apartment temp was around 75 degrees. The apartment would get up to 85 degrees during hot days), issues with homelessness and crime (unhoused sneaking into the building, cars broken into inside the parking garage), no security whatsoever other than some cameras, amenities on rooftop are not maintained well, ridiculous price to rent out the rooftop (over $700 upfront cost), maintenance is slow to respond to issues sometimes and work can be shoddy (they're nice but very understaffed), management staff is nice but ultimately not very helpful when trying to address issues, apartments lack natural light (feels like a cave), lots of noise coming from the alley way/west facing side (garbage trucks, car alarms, people yelling), no community events for getting to know neighbors, trash room is sometimes full of garbage bc people are too lazy to put it in the chute or break down their cardboard boxes, no staff on-site I've heard people say that they've had bad experiences in U-District. I never had any issues living there but there are always sketchy characters roaming around that clearly don't go to UW. A lot of the issues of the apartment would be completely preventable if they had a security guard. No one should have their car broken into while it's sitting IN the parking garage. Unhoused people will occasionally sneak in and take advantage of it. While their situation is unfortunate, it shouldn't be the tenants responsibility to deal with this. Management won't do anything to improve safety. They just keep telling us to feel "empowered" to call the police. There needs to be a better solution. By far my biggest annoyance with this apartment is the rooftop itself. While the rooftop has an amazing view of the area, it is so poorly maintained that it's barely worth using. The firepits have been broken for the two years that I've lived here and there hasn't been any effort to fix it. You can get one of the fire pits to work but can easily burn yourself in the process if not careful. Residents keep letting their dogs on the rooftop and letting them poop all over the place. Management won't do anything about this either. They just say "they're aware of the issue". And on top of all of this they want to charge tenants over $700 (deposit + hourly rate, + cleaning fee) up front to rent out their barely functioning rooftop. I know of other apartments that rent their rooftop for as long as tenants want for less than $200. Ridiculous. Overall not the worst place I've lived but certainly not the best. The company that manages the building doesn't really care and it shows. read more

Hi person-who-might-be-just-moving to Seattle! So, I have never written a bad review in my entire life (it gives Karen energy to me) but after living in my apartment at Lightbox for two years during grad school - let me help you avoid making the same mistake I did! University District itself is an extremely unsafe neighborhood - which I didn't really know when I moved here. There are frequent armed robberies, stabbings, and shootings, which are reported to UW students using the UW alert system. 45th, the main street running through UDistrict, has a huge drug/crime problem with little to no police presence. (This apartment building is on 8th&45th). Personally, during my two years here for school, I have been robbed twice in this district, both times in broad daylight within a block of the apartment complex. Crime also directly affects the apartment building, where my car has been broken into despite it being in the locked garage at Lightbox, which is unfortunately common. There are also frequent break-ins into the building, and there is a huge theft problem with packages. Courriers frequently do not put packages in lockers, and when they forget, they are pretty much immediately stolen. From what people tell me, this district has always been rough around the edges, but has considerably gotten more dangerous after Covid. Although the apartment building looks nice on the inside, a lot of the appliances do break semi-frequently, as it seems they may have cut corners to have appliances that look really nice but aren't the best quality. My washer and drier has broken several times over the past two years, and since maintenance is split between two buildings (very, very nice people - just spread too thin), it can take over a month to get things repaired. When major maintenance/repairs need to happen which impact the entire building (garage cleaning, fire alarm testing for building, etc.,) there is usually only 1-2 days warning or no warning at all. The neighbors here generally keep to themselves - mostly college students. Many smoke in the building, so the hallways smell like weed 24/7, if that's something that will bother you. People here in my personal experience tend to be generally discourteous, leaving heaps of trash in the trash room when the chute is full to a point where the door can't open. Also, this isn't that big of a deal, but I had my doormat and wreath stolen, and that made me sad. :-( Despite the beautiful rooftop, which is great for reading in the sunshine or hosting friends, the cost for what you get really is not great. You could get a much better deal on an apartment (like 900-1200/month with roommates or in a studio) in a safer, cheaper, and nicer district like Greenlake/Wallingford area, Ravenna, or even Capitol Hill. The commute to school might be like 5-10 minutes longer, but it's worth your safety and sanity. Also, apartment buildings like this tend to capitalize on students coming to UW who want a nice-looking apartment who may not realize it's in a super unsafe and overpriced neighborhood. They are really just here to milk every penny from young students looking to be close to school. My advice: go somewhere else! TLDR; not worth your money, unsafe neighborhood. I now live in Wallingford for half the cost in a neighborhood with a next-to-none crime rate. Good luck in Seattle, I hope this helps you find your next home! read more

If I could leave a zero star or negative stars I would. The amount of problems I had just from living here one year are stories I could go on and on for. I don't take the time to leave a review unless I feel really strongly about a place, and after the nightmare I endured for a year, please read and save yourself from this horrible place. It's a bit lengthy but all important information for you to know if you're considering living here. *Management* flat out sucks. They are never present on site, and never available when you need them. You can never actually talk to a real person or call them. They will give you a text number, and you'll be lucky if they reply to your problem during certain hours (sometimes you'll wait days and have to text again). On top of that they will give you mixed or wrong information and go back on it, and they're rude. Rachel, Abby, Aanesia, and management are rude, *petty*, and just don't care. They just exist to bill you but never help. After not helping me out with my problems (read next section), and harassing me, at the end of my stay they accused me of losing something which I know was there when I left, all to get my security deposit, but it was my word against theirs (the one part of the Apt I didn't take pictures of ). Not even the biggest of problems with them, so oh well (take pictures of *everything* before and after!) *Community/Management Pt.2* the people are mostly nice, but there are definitely problematic neighbors. Everywhere has those right? But the question is what does management do? Well, here they do absolutely nothing. I had problems with my crazy neighbor next door for 11 of the 12 months I lived at Lightbox, and the situation would only get worse and worse and lightbox wouldn't do anything. I was at the point where I was talking to lawyers about suing Lightbox, and had a police report on my neighbor already. Had my move out date not been as close to as when I finally got police involved/help, the officer was ready to proceed with a restraining order against my neighbor and recommended legal against Lightbox. It was all on file. And what did lightbox do even after I told them all of this? Not even reply. Not a single word of acknowledgment. Only time they ever replied was near the middle of my stay after I told them everything I was experiencing, to which they stalled, and after several obvious lie-excuses as to why they hadn't gotten back to me, and me asking them to respond over the course of 2 weeks and recording the conversation receipts and dates with them, all I did get was a response not even related to the subject dodging the problems addressed. *Discrimination* Also, as other reviews have mentioned, keep in mind because I called them out for it too, they do discriminate here and the amount of disrespect you receive compared to others makes it very evident. POC's/international students watch out for this too (another of the subjects I directly called them out on and they never replied to). I am pretty sure my experience in part was the way it was because of this discrimination, and why management harassed me over the months giving me warnings for things I *wasn't even in the city at the times* to be doing!! *Neighborhood* is sketchy and unsafe, my partner and I with our two cars (nothing inside) had 2 break-ins and a stolen catalytic converter. It was common to see a car with a shattered window in front of the building almost every day. There are also a lot of crimes like shootings and stabbing that happen near here, and despite safety threats, homeless and non-residents are able to easily get in the building and management never did anything to handle it. The one time I did manage to get in contact with them they told me to deal with it with the police. *Facilities* are subpar, especially for how much they charge for rent. *Does not look like pictures online!* Packages will get stolen (they make you pay for a locker, but even then somehow packages manage to disappear), and the hallways and rooftop not only stink and are dirty but have broken furniture or amenities that don't work. I cannot stress enough how horrible and much of a scam this place is. I ignored the bad reviews when I moved in, please don't make the same mistake I did. I hope this helps at least someone :) P.S. Lightbox/Kennedy/UDR would never reply to my emails in private or help me with my experience, instead just be part of the harassing, so now that this is public and I no longer live there, I would love to see if they have anything to respond for the public. I encourage a response for us all to read. *UPDATE* as you can see, it was a useless HR-Friendly response no surprise. There u have it people, the problems are outlined, and this is the kind of response you will get from them. read more

See all

I lived here for a year from March 2017-2018 in a studio. I loved the location because it was close to the city and my work. Only a 20 minute walk to University Village (or 5 minute drive w/o traffic). There's a park a block away and you can walk/run to Green Lake as well. The space was small, less than 400 square feet but I didn't have many things so that was okay for me. The building itself was nice and modern. Cute gym, really nice roof top lounge. The annoying thing is that so many students live here and have no sense of common courtesy. There was trash in the halls and stairs often, dog pee in the elevator on many occasions, as well as spilt coffee. I was never able to get packages delivered here unfortunately because you have to pay a monthly subscription to use the lockers and since I didn't, anything I bought would get returned. I just started mailing to work instead. The leasing staff are really nice and always so helpful. Parking was quite pricey (150$ or so a month) so I opted to get a Zone permit for the street. This part is a huge miss and a lose-lose situation because there were some break in's inside the garage and by parking on the street my car was dinged by people who suck at parallel parking twice. There are a lot of people who park on the street w/o a permit who don't get ticketed/towed and ends up leaving no spots for those of us who do. I ended up getting towed for parking in the wrong zone since there was no parking in my zone.. Go figure.. After writing this I feel like it deserves less than 4 stars but the location, modern appeal and the great leasing staff make up for it. I was planning to move out of state but it didn't end up working out. I found a studio 200 sq ft bigger in Bellevue with better amenities, free parking, newer, and cheaper so, if location isn't everything I'd recommend searching elsewhere. Unless you go to UW, then it's perfect for you. read more

Constant noise from neighboring units that management is unwilling to address. Hallways are filthy. Residents leave their garbage in main areas constantly. Property management is extremely unhelpful and scheduling repairs for equipment takes forever. My dishwasher didn't work for my first two weeks in the unit. Residents also don't wear masks in common areas, including the gym. read more

I do love the apartment, but maybe the neighborhood isn't for all? This building has experienced a lot of crime since my boyfriend and I moved in, but I feel the apartment mgmt does their best to manage. Yes the apartments are small and smaller than all my previous ones but living minimal has completely changed my life for the better. Would recommend! read more

Two massive issues with this place ruined it for me. First, I was paying to store my bike in their bike storage area. Unfortunately, a bike thief broke in and stole all of the bikes. Lightbox did not inform me or the community of the break-in. I only found out when I went to use my bike and it wasn't there. I asked to be refunded the value of the bike, but they offered me nothing. They didn't even refund me the cost of the bike storage! That alone earns them one star. Secondly, when my lease was ending, they had the gall to set the month-to-month rate to double what I had been paying. Literally I was paying $1500/month and their month-to-month rate was $3000. Thankfully I wasn't in a situation where I needed to stick around for another month. It's a typical corporate building. They don't care about their residents, only the bottom line. read more

This is a good community. The location is great and it's quiet. I have not had any issues so far while living here. The only comment that I have is that I wish they would offer more flexibility with their smart home package. The package in its current form offers no flexibility. The apartment comes with only one smart plug, and there is no option to add more plugs. I've asked, but they had to reach out to the company, so I'm guessing it's not even feasible. I think getting extra plugs is something that residents should be able to request. read more

I am an incoming UW student and was quite interested in living in this apartment. I tried to email this apartment, considering I am an international student and calling internationally is quite expensive, but got no response for several weeks. That said, I had to call directly. Not happy about it, but that's fine, I can call. (BTW, this is the only apartment that I never hear back after emailing. ) However, the woman whoever picked up the phone was ABSOLUTELY SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO RUDE. On the phone, she was not surprised at all when I told her that nobody answered my email. She checked her email inbox slowly, confirmed that she saw my email, and that was it. She did not apologize for not responding or try to explain why she didn't respond. Again, I was kind of mad but I decided to let it go and be nice, again. When I tried to ask her for more details on leasing, however, she could not provide any useful information except those that were listed on the website. She started to behave so impatiently and kept saying that she had to transfer me to someone else, which I couldn't understand why. If she is the one picking up the phone listed on the official web, then she has to at least know something. In the end, she decided to not hide at all and started to repeat YeaYeaYeaYeaYea to me. TBH, I've heard of some other international students complaining about this apartment's horrible attitude. And if you check the previous reviews, you will find the similar comments. I guess there is a reason why I think THERE MIGHT BE A DISCRIMINATION going on over here. I tried to report this woman, but the response I got from Lightbox is that they will try to put more training on her and do what they can do. I guess that means nothing... VERY DISAPPOINTED! I will not live in this apartment because of this woman. With such a rude old b, I can imagine how I can suffer living here. I hope this can be a friendly reminder to all international students considering living here and maybe for others too. Such a horrible experience! read more

My roommate and I have lived here 2 years and these are my takeaways Pros: -The gym is small but functional and rarely packed with many people. -Fantastic rooftop views and rooftop area. Really one of the best in the area given Lightbox's positioning on top of the hill which slopes down toward lake union. -The people in the leasing office are nice people who do want to help I just think they are limited by being owned by a massive corporation (UDR) which owns many properties and their hands are tied in many situations. -10 minute walk to the LINK station on 45th will get you almost anywhere in the greater Seattle area/airport. -As a UW student, 15-20 minute walk to classes is not terrible. -It's a newish apartment (built 2010-2015) so the units are in pretty good condition. Definitely not an upscale apartment and there are cheap materials used everywhere in all the units, but you can make your unit look very nice depending on how you decorate. -Great restaurants along University Ave. and 45th. -If I ever need groceries I can be at the nearby Trader Joe's in literally a matter of seconds if I run. It's very close and the employees are great. I do all my grocery shopping here. Cons: -Getting things fixed/dealing with maintenance is almost always a headache. There is a single mechanic who does the maintenance on the two buildings owned by UDR in the area (Lightbox and Kennedy). This means a single person has to do the work on about 200-300 units. We once had our sink disposal broken/leaking for 2 weeks while the mechanic was out sick which they failed to communicate with us. There is no communication system in place to tell you when your maintenance issue will be fixed/where you are in the queue. You just have to wait it out which is extremely frustrating. -Low apartments (levels 1-5ish) on the WEST side experience extremely loud noise in the early morning due to garbage trucks in the alley. My roommate and I wake up at 4:59am 4 days out of the week and have to put in noise cancelling headphones. One of the most annoying things I have ever experienced. Can't imagine what I would do without noise cancellation technology. -Pretty disappointing lounge area with little to no area for studying/table space. -Expensive parking (~$150 per month) -Located in a generally unsafe area leads to packages being stolen in the lobby, intimidating homeless people/drug addicts in the area, broken glass doors/windows, cars FREQUENTLY being broken into in the Lightbox garage. -As of 2022 many of the in-unit laundry machines are faulty and do not drain well at all. Your clothes will come out sopping wet and need to dry for 2+ hours. Makes doing laundry an absolute headache. They are slowly replacing these, but not ours. -Cheap flooring -Depending on your unit, very small kitchen area with very little counter space makes cooking a bit tricky but you can get around this. -No in-unit AC means it can get absolutely sweltering in the Summers, becomes very uncomfortable without buying a portable AC unit. Especially on higher floors (4th-7th floors). Apartment temperature reached 85 degrees almost daily in July and August. -Units on the North, South, and West facing sides will be in the direct and close view of the nearby apartments and you will you need to lower your blinds if you want privacy to change/etc. -You have the option of either paying $5/month for Parcel pending OR having your packages sent to the mail hall where they sit on the counter and are open to the public. Parcel pending is service with a little locker in the garage which package carriers have to put your package into and you enter a code to claim your package. It's definitely unfortunate to have to pay to safely receive packages and I think it's a design flaw that there is no secure mail room for the apartment, only a "mail-hall". read more

Note when reading other reviews: The management has changed in the past year. Do not trust any reviews about positive management that are from before ~October 2020. The apartments themselves are good quality - thick walls, smart locks, good quality furnishings. Every single other component of the apartment is awful, and you should look elsewhere. * The currently listed rents are incredibly overpriced. Nearly $1800/month for a 450 square foot apartment is a horrible deal. * The apartments are REALLY small. The vast majority of them are less than 500 square feet. * They WILL NOT refund your deposit, and most of the time they will charge you additional cleaning and maintenance fees on top of the deposit without giving a clear reason as to what you're being charged for. * Your first month's rent must be paid with certified funds, which requires an unnecessary trip to the bank instead of just letting us pay via check or online banking * The management and maintenance teams are slow to respond; when you submit a ticket expect no one to respond to you for weeks. * There is a lot of noise on both sides of the building. The west-facing side has loud garbage trucks and the east-facing side has leafblowers and construction noises. * The circulation in the apartments is poor due to the shape of the apartments * There is no community forum or any attempt made by management (such as community events), so it's difficult to know the people around you * The bike storage charges you $15/month just to store your bike. * You're forced to sign up for their package service called ParcelPending which is a complete scam. You are charged a $25 sign-up fee and $5/month, and on top of that you're charged $5 for every day your package is in the lockers. On top of that, half the time delivery drivers don't even put the packages in the ParcelPending lockers since they're in the parking garage that delivery drivers don't always have access to so you don't even get the added "security" that ParcelPending claims to offer read more

Enjoy your lease, but def be in town while and after you move out. Ambiguious and arbitrary charges (in the hundreds of dollars) do happen, esp for students who have already packed and left the country. Its a decent property, but be wary of predatory management. read more

The leasing person was very good. I really liked the building but decided on different location. Also the amenities are nice! -chad read more

Overall, I greatly enjoyed my stay at Lightbox. There are pros and cons to living there. First, the pros: 1. Super close to everything in U District. Ubers will sometimes arrive within 1-2 minutes. 2. Very walkable area. There are homeless around, but in my 11 months here they never bothered me once, and I never felt unsafe at night there. 3. Right next to the highway. You can be downtown in like 10 minutes (assuming light traffic). 4. The building is still shiny and new. 5. The view from the roof is absolutely incredible. 6. The living room in corner units has lots of windows so you'll get plenty of natural lighting. 7. This building's floors and walls are solid, so I rarely if ever heard my neighbors except through the front door. 8. Flexible lease terms The cons: 1. If you stay long enough the highway noise will eventually get to you and is especially loud in the morning. There's no air conditioning, so you'll need to open your windows to cool down, making matters worse. Corner apartments are the worst, because except for the bathroom all the rooms have windows which allow highway noise in. 2. The college students party and make a mess in the commons area and out front every weekend. 3. The layout of my 2 bedroom unit wasn't great. The middle bedroom had an awful sliding door that didn't block sound out at all. The front bedroom had a real door but was pretty small. If Lightbox was just 1 more block away from I5 and had a better layout I would give it 5 stars. read more

Overall a great place to live in. The room appliances and such are in great condition. Probably the best part is the staff, as they put a ton of effort to make sure everything is running smoothly. Pretty much every time i've had a request they were met within the hour or day. Probably the only bad things are the things they don't have control over, like corporate rules and some of the neighbors. The hallways can get pretty smelly. It is a college area at the end of the day. read more

Pros: 1. New building (comes with dish washer, washing machine, dryer) 2. Overall clean shared spaces 3. Good location (close to stores on the Ave, easy to get on I-5) Cons: 1. Over priced 2. Not Safe You would think such an expensive apartment building would have cameras all over the place, but NO. People pay $150 A month for parking, and there is no security cameras installed. Homeless on the streets will follow you in the garage and break into people's cars! I got followed one night around 12am, and had to call the police! I tried to find someone on duty in the building, but thee is no such thing! The police eventually didn't come over, but it was such a frightening experience with no safety cameras. I heard the parking fees are increasing too. Not to mention how small the parking lots are. 3. No one answers the phone! The leasing managers are away all the time without notice. It is so hard to find them for urgent matters, like inspections. read more

My lease with lightbox is coming to an end and my experience in it for the past year has been amazing. The management team was very sweet since the day I showed interest in the community, and throughout the year they were really helpful and provided me with whatever help I needed. I really enjoyed the quietness in my unit and I love that the walls are designed to block noises; it's something I was worried about especially living in u-district. Moreover, the new rooftop is absolutely amazing! I only wish that the spaces of the units were bigger; I'd have loved to renew my lease again with Lightbox, as the treatment I received here was one of the best I've experienced in Seattle, but I'd definitely love to have a bigger living space. read more

I was locked out of my apartment on 4th of July weekend. I called the number that was provided for us in case of emergency. They provided me with a code to my email. For some reason I couldn't remember my password. So long story short they connected me to maintenance and Forest was a huge help and managed to let me in my apartment. Very greatful read more

I lived in Lightbox for a little over a year and think it's important for me to share my experience for others who are apartment hunting in the area. First I'll share the pros: as a UW student I liked the location, friendly and young neighbors, dog friendly, helpful service request team, and amenities. Although most amenities were closed during Covid. Now time for the cons, which were complete deal breakers for myself. This apartment had several issues with hot water without any offer of compensation or rent decrease. This issue was left unresolved for over a month where I had to go several days with no shower after coming home from working in the service industry. UNETHICAL. Hot water is a basic need, particularly during a pandemic. During the water outages, water was completely shut off without notice, only to receive a email from management after water had been turned off already for hours. Also there were major problems with safety and theft. The front door of the building was unlocked completely for several days at a time and when I notified management they had no idea. Which meant the person who created the damage was able to have access the whole time. Once during a repair, the front door lock was completely removed by management and was left unfixed for a few days leaving the front door open again while neighbors packages and safety is negligently disregarded. I also had a curated care package from my best friend stolen from the mailroom, even though I purchased their monthly parcel pending subscription which was suppose to ensure safe packages! But of course management cannot help you so why even reach out. I must say my biggest concern was management and the responses to these issues. When I reached out they would apologize but then leave the issue unresolved. I didn't reach out for an apology... I'm sure everyone is sorry! I needed my issues addressed, especially when my basic needs aren't being met in my home I pay a lot for! Overall I was disappointed with there safety features which given the tech of the building was really misleading. The hot water issue was appalling because I thought they would at least try to make it right. And finally, management is not helpful and is unresponsive. They will waste your time with apologies only to protect the interests of the property, not you. Never felt like my concerns were taken seriously. I cannot recommend in such a competitive rent market!!!! I have lived all over Seattle and have had many fabulous experiences. Make sure to check out all other options! read more

Spending the summer at the Lightbox was perfect. The apartments are bright and immaculate, as were the hallways and elevators. We did face east, so we overlooked trees and found little "city" noise. The rooftop deck was an added bonus for grilling and relaxing as we took in the beautiful Seattle skyline. The staff is very attentive, efficient, and friendly - Mario was on top of everything. We had a vehicle, but the bus-line is a block away and direct to downtown, so we only used it to explore on the weekends. Although the underground parking was an additional fee, it was well worth it as I felt the car, and when we entered/exited the garage, was very safe. I felt we had easy access to everything! As I read some of the negative reviews, it's aggravating as it seems they were resident warranted - if you keep a clean apartment and follow the rules and you don't have a room-mate you don't know, you won't find a better place to live in the area! PS - as soon as you move in, access the Resident Portal as it is a great way to communicate with the staff and fellow tenants, especially if you are looking to get some good deals on things you might need from others who are moving out! read more

WARNING: THIS REVIEW IS VERY LONG AND DETAILED. Scroll down to the TLDR if you don't want to read this wall of text. I lived in this complex for 11 months and my feelings definitely changed for the worse over time. Initially, my experience was great. Of course they're going to be nice, responsive, etc, when they're trying to close a sale. The first 3 months of living at Lightbox they were owned by Riverstone but then they got bought by UDR which also owns the Kennedy building, etc others around the area. This management change didn't bother me at all. But what did bother me was a) getting double charged for utilities and application fees in the first few months b) replacement of the entire staff which related to c) the loss of a couple documents, emails. In the end, I got it sorted, but only because I actually noticed these numerous double charges on my statements and cared to follow up (MULTIPLE times, btw). It really scares me how much money this company got away with, for those residents who barely look at their account statements. ------------------------------ PROS - there is only one. 1) Like I said - this place was built in 2015. I moved into a brand new unit which was a huge plus for me. The hallways, main entrance, outside areas, etc., were kept mostly clean. ------------------------------ CONS 1) The most comical layout ever. Whoever designed this building really knew how to make the most of every inch of space. For example, the only "real" non-sliding door was the bathroom door. Also, the walls were so thin I could hear everything. If you're a working professional or planning to move in here with your family, be prepared to be annoyed by the constant parties your college student-neighbors will throw every weekend, until 4am. That's to be expected. 2) Horrible air circulation. Goes back to #1 - the building layout. Live here if you don't mind feeling like you're stuffed in a (light)box. ;). It might have a little bit to do with the side of the building I was on (I was on 8th ave, across from The University Plaza). In the summer, it literally felt like a sauna inside the apartment complex. I only went to the apartment to sleep. Fans didn't really help since the air was trapped and the only windows were ones letting the sun in. The only good part about this horrible air circulation was that we didn't need to use the heater much in the wintertime. :) 3) Smallest parking garage I have EVER seen in the city of Seattle, and trust me, I have visited a lot of garages/apartment complex garages. Cost: $150 for a spot (only one spot per unit) unless they have increased this. I scratched my car in multiple places, as did every other car in the garage (I noticed). It's SUPER hard not to just because of how the garage is structured. However, I never once complained to management, because I had the choice of paying and parking in their garage. 4) Management. I would say overall, they were nice in person, but they were HORRIBLE at follow-up and horribly unresponsive to emails and phone calls. The issues I had were regarding: incorrect/double charges on statements, being fined another application fee 3 months after I had moved in, being fined for parking in MY OWN spot because they failed to update their own parking records, etc. I work a full-time job and rarely had time to visit during their normal office hours. When I visited on the weekends to follow up with matters in person, or in the off-chance I came home early from work to follow-up about an issue, they told me they would take care of it, but it took MULTIPLE attempts. I really hate escalating issues to management, but needed to a couple times. But that didn't always work either. Their manager, Sarah, never kept her word. In the end, towards my move-out date, Sarah flat-out stopped responding. But what more can you expect from a large apartment complex like UDR? :) I've literally never lived at an apartment complex that truly cares about their residents. 5) After preparing to move (hiring a professional cleaner, painting, etc), I had my apartment inspected prior to my move-out date, and the employee who inspected it (Abby) said that my unit was the "cleanest unit" she's ever seen and in her words said that the unit "still looks brand new." I still got charged nearly $400 for "carpet cleaning, paint, and cleaning charges." At this point, I was so fed up with Lightbox that I just paid the final balance to be done with them. I left this apartment complex with such a bad taste in my mouth, having interacted with so many of their staff members, that I have not and will not recommend this complex to anyone I know. I truly hate when large complexes treat their residents like this, so that's why I decided to post this review. ------------------------------ TLDR: Overall, live in this apartment if you want a fairly new, clean apartment, but you're loaded with $$$ and not worried about getting screwed over :) read more

See all

Not only did UDR claim that they used my entire deposit for damages to my apartment (which was mostly for painting the entire apartment and completely unnecessary), they claimed that I owed them an additional $61 on move-out. However, I did not receive this information until I contacted them after three weeks of radio silence on their part; this is illegal in our state. I have asked for evidence that they sent me notification of this balance; they told me they were not obligated to provide proof that they sent this out to me (incorrect from a legal standpoint). Since I did not want to ruin my credit by being taken to collections over a measly $61, I paid the balance under protest. They have refused to provide me with a receipt for my payment, which is also illegal under state law. read more

Yes, this building is extremely new, management nice and helpful, nice appliances and rooftop etc etc...but I am actually mind blown at some of these positive reviews. The layout of the apartment is AWFUL! We had to sign this lease without touring the apartment since we moved from out of state (which was a mistake). I thought 400+ sq ft would be okay, but the way Lightbox has designed it is to cram as many apartments in the complex as possible so you're going to basically live in a long, thin hallway. The space is so ineffectively designed; i don't live in a studio but I might as well. The bed is basically in the kitchen and the "bedroom" has a huge gap in the wall so NOTHING is private, especially with the flimsy (and annoying) sliding door. Also, it's super cramped with furniture so you have to REALLY plan the design, my boyfriend and I ended up ordering furniture that sucks just to accommodate this tiny living space. Also, the size of the apartment means that any smell permeates it instantly (including from other apartments/people who smoke--how on earth does it smell in MY apartment??) and the fire alarm goes off regularly so be wary with your cooking (as in, expect it to go off every 4 times you make something). We've stopped inviting people over because even others can't help but notice how tiny and awkward the space is, and it's just too small to hang out with more than 2 people. TL;DR: Tiny, cramped apartment that is very overpriced for how much you're getting (a classic Seattle sitch I'm learning)!! Photos online are deceiving with size! ALWAYS look in person before signing and make sure you know what you're compromising!!! read more

WORST APARTMENT COMPLEX IN HISTORY. YOU WILL GET SCAMMED. DESIGN: Everything about Lightbox is horrible - don't let its modern concept fool you. The living space is small and the design is horrid; if you live with a roommate there will be absolutely no privacy because the doors are sliding and the wall between the living room and the bedroom is incomplete, so nothing is soundproof. CLEANLINESS: The hallways will perpetually smell like trash. There is a trash room with a trash chute for all the trash to go down, but when you open the room it is filled to the brim with trash. First, there are residents to blame for their negligence, but the majority of the blame should go to the management (I'll get to this in more detail in just a sec). Cleaners come around to clear the trash like once a week, and if your room is located near the trashroom the smell would seep in. Air circulation in the room is already horrible to start with. SAFETY: There has been issues with theft, and the security doors to the apartment building and garage was broken for like half of my stay at Lightbox, so basically anyone can just open the door and access the building. Even though the management is sitting right in front by the entrance door, they're very unobservant and don't really notice what's going on around them. COMMUNITY: This apartment boasts itself as a place that fosters friendship and relationships between neighbors, but there is absolutely no sense of community in this building or any effort put forth to enforce that. MANAGEMENT: Management is lazy and often not in the office during office hours, and shortens their hours with minimal or no prior notice. They are also very unresponsive through email and phone and are unhelpful in resolving your queries. RENT/SCAM: Rent itself is already very high (which is justifiable given that it is new and has various amenities), but expect that you will not get much or any of your deposit back and it will also be likely that you will face additional charges for "cleaning" and "repainting of the walls". I am going to speak very objectively and say that I left the apartment in a like-new state. I only lived there for 3 months and I deep cleaned everything before I left. I was charged a total of $400 because apparently they had to repaint "THE ENTIRE APARTMENT" and had to shampoo and redo the carpets. Absolutely ridiculous. When I asked for photos for justification, they sent me 23 photos, half of which are clean areas no matter how hard I magnified into the photo. The most problematic things I can identify was paint on the ground that obviously came from their lackluster paint job, a piece of thread on the ground, or a light brown stain on the wall the size of a beauty mark. When I questioned them about it, they give me incomplete answers and refused to answer my phone calls. They also emphasize that the charges will stand (edit: they only gave me a ring to try to explain after seeing this review). (This review has been reposted and lightly edited. Previously the management had asked for me to remove it, but Yelp says I shouldn't because they had tried to convince me by offering me some money in return, not all. It still doesn't justify the charges in the first place. I've also had many residents message me sharing that they were experiencing the same issues. I think this should be helpful for anyone considering to live here in the future) read more

Three words: Phenomenal Customer Service. Being someone who works in property management, I have to admit I tend to expect a lot. For the TLDR group: I was looking for an MFTE home and found the Lightbox. They made a few mistakes as I was applying and eventually I decided I couldn't rent there because i wasn't comfortable. Most of the time they are never going to give you your deposit back when you change your mind. However, Alan -the assistant manager took full responsibility and refunded me my deposit. Literally BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER. Doesn't happen often so don't go bothering them about getting your money back unless you have a situation like I had. If you change your mind just because, you're probably not getting a dime back. FOR EVERYONE ELSE: I started off looking for an MFTE home and found the lightbox. I thought they would be great, however, as i kept going along I started to hit a few snags with them. I personally have a 3 strikes policy and by the third time, i decided I couldn't rent at the apartments and needed to get my deposit back. Being someone in property management, I know this rarely ever happens if the future resident changes there mind and knew I probably wouldn't get it back, but i still went back to talk to them about my experience and resolve the situation. Main reason I was upset: There just seems to be a lack of knowledge about the MFTE program at this property, a lack of communication and education between the employees about MFTE policy, and the Property Manager was rude when I was discussing that I was interested in the program with her. ACTIONS TAKEN BY STAFF: I went in and talked to Alan about my experience and how I felt that living at the apartments wouldn't be a good relationship for his office or myself, it was amazing how he fully accepted responsibility, didn't argue with us, and was able to dissolve my frustration. He refunded me my deposit (it took about 1 month since it comes in the mail and through corporate usually) and after this experience, I genuinely would probably rent there again if the time came. I just recognized that at that point in time it wasn't going to be a good relationship between management and myself as a resident. I'm hoping next year when I have a better financial situation I'll be able to rent one of their apartment homes. Overall the way Alan handled the situation was amazing and that man needs to be promoted. read more

I feel sad to move away because of job relocation. This is a nicely managed apartment. Everything here is brand new. Not to mention the 24-h venting system in each unit that keeps the apartment air fresh all the time. The location is great. Near I-5 (while no traffic noise from it), near UW, a lot of delicious yet affordable restaurant in university district. Cinema and theatre right across the street. Also close to Northgate for IMAX movie. Tons of public transit to basically anywhere. It takes me 30min including walking and waiting to go to downtown Seattle for work. In summer I usually take 30min biking to work too. Besides, me personally go to Bellevue a lot in weekend a lot. The new 520 bridge is about to be finished in April 2016. With GoodToGo pass the toll is reasonable. read more

I moved into a studio with a fantastic layout and suprising storage space. Then I transferred to a 1 bdrm. plus a den and it faces East so the light is much better and less highway noise. I highly recommend Lightbox for the rooftop deck, gym, cleanliness, loveliness of the apartments and really nice staff. The layout of the 1 bdrm. does have a bit of wasted space and very little storage but, it is such a great location and the roof makes up for anything negative. I sold my car but did feel the parking rate was astronomical, most bldgs. are, and it did get broken into twice so that is something to consider when moving to the city. All-in-all, a great building and I have lived in too many to count. I have been here 4 years and can imagine staying a while longer. read more

The staff arrange an amazing rooftop, carnival event in September! The event was on the rooftop of The Kennedy Building. The day was beautiful and there was opportunity to connect with vendors, meet neighbors and enjoy great food! Thanks!!! read more

Lightbox is a great place to stay at even though there are some few things that I wish they could fixed and have. For example, I wish there is a heater in a bathroom, no trash smell in the hallways and a switch to turn off the vent/fan in the bathroom as well as the lock for the bedroom with the sliding door. Overall, Lightbox is a great place for people to live in. The staffs are nice and responsive. There the lobby and the rooftop where I can hangout with my friends and gym to workout so I don't have to go out for it. I would love to live here again if the space is a little bit bigger. read more

Great location, great staff! Lots of businesses within walking distance. Very easy to get on and off the freeway. The rooftop area is also really nice. read more

Perfect setting for great visit to Seattle, WA guest suite is an amazing solution to feel at home, being away from home, I recomend

As the 5 stars indicate, this place is as good as it gets. Abby was very helpful and answered all my questions completely. Thank you again

Been living here for 4 years and honestly the staff have been super helpful and accommodating. The building is always clean and maintenance is very timely and respectful! Could not be happier! read more

Love Lightbox. The place is very well maintained. The apartment is light and airy and has everything you'd need and appliances are modern and in perfect condition. The gym is small but well equipped. You control your own heat, which is a big plus if you're not use to colder temperatures. And can't say enough good things about the management! They're lovely - so friendly, professional, great communication, and so easy to deal with. Location is great too - only a few blocks from the U Dist and easy access to I5 if you need to go downtown. Trader Joe's around the corner. This is without doubt the nicest place I've stayed in Seattle. read more

As an update, they got back to me and have since said that they were unable to identify the person who stole my mail. Overall I still can't recommend it until they figure out a way to make sure no one's mail is stolen. If they are charging so much- this shouldn't be an issue. read more

Pro: Clean hobby, elevator Comes with dish washer, laundry, dryer, refrigerator, heater, shower Convenient Con: Expensive Small-studio size Hard to find parking Very very loud every morning from the street Very hot in the summer read more

I've been living at Lightbox for around 5 months now. Aside from a few small details I'm loving it here! The staff are super friendly and helpful with any questions or concerns I have. The apartment itself is in great shape and offers plenty of worthy amenities such as a washer/dryer. The building is in a great location, so whether you're in college looking to link up with other students or just going our for some groceries you never have to go far. Probably my favorite part of living here is the unparalleled view from the roof deck. I could spend hours up there and on most days the traffic is minimal. All in all I enjoy living here and I can see myself staying for a few more years. Pros: Friendly staff, spectacular views of Seattle, long list of amenities, well maintained, underground parking garage Cons: Below average air circulation, occasional noisy neighbors (it is a college town after all) read more

Locked myself out of my apartment, Abby was a champ and saved me! Always friendly, always helpful!

What can I say about Lightbox that others before have not. This place will scam you out of your money, hold onto your deposit for dear life, not respond to your maintenance requests or say that they tried coming by when they did not. Neighbors are amazingly loud, both from neighboring buildings and people who blast music after midnight on the rooftop so loudly that your whole bed vibrates and you can feel the walls beating. Management will not respond to your noise complaints either. Frequently has no water for most of the day and will not provide you with alternative accommodations (so if you're working from home and need to use the bathroom, good luck). Does not make it clear when you move out what actions you have to take so that they can charge you for extra month-to-month rent. Uses new legislations as an excuse as to why they did not contact you DESPITE telling you they will contact you about moving out. Horrible experience. Scroll through the other reviews and know that this is not my personal experience, but something others can attest to. read more

I lived at Lightbox on a 13 month lease and I'm so impressed with how quickly it felt like home. The leasing managers and maintenance workers are very friendly and were helpful with every hiccup that came my way this past year. It's nice that they were always improving the building (package lockers, new locks on our doors, updated fixtures). You can also tell they made an effort to make it a community--they had little events here and there with food and activities which I really appreciated. I was sad to have to move away but glad to have had such a smooth year. Thanks, Lightbox! (And Abby, Mario, Anthony, Umieko, and Jane!) read more